5 Great Turks and Caicos Beach Bars
By Tim Cotroneo
For the Caribbean vacationer, discovering a new beach bar is like hitting the lottery. The anticipation, the experience, and the lasting memory of a newly found beach bar is what helps make island hopping a blissful escape.
The Turks and Caicos island of Providenciales is home to more than a dozen outdoor bistros delivering a magical vibe bolstered by white sand, palm trees, and chilled rum punch. In today’s Caribbean, there is nothing typical when it comes to the beach bar recipe.
Some of the best venues deliver a rustic landscape matched by tales of customers who helped spread the word. Providenciales also features beach bars that look and feel as if they were painted with an artist’s brush. Let’s pull back the curtain on five of Turks and Caicos’ best of the best beach bars.
Omar’s Beach Hut
If you’re desiring a beach bar that conjures images of a setting bridging the gap between yesterday and today, then Omar’s Beach Hut in the Five Cays region of Providenciales is just what the doctor ordered. Before you can ask, “how did this bar get its name,” owner Omar Duncan stops by your table to see how you’re doing.
Spend more than 10 minutes at Omar’s and you can see that the owner leads by example. Whether he’s cleaning off a table, taking your food order, or joking with his clientele, Duncan’s freshly painted bar and restaurant oozes authenticity. What’s great is this on the sea ambiance instantly has customers feeling relaxed and at home.
Omar’s includes a handful of picnic tables that are actually in the ocean, and these colorful dining spots are great for photo ops or for customers arriving by boat. If you desire the full beach bar experience, ask for the Omar Special rum punch cocktail.
Ocean Club Cabana Bar
The Ocean Club resort is one of Providenciales original hotels with an opening dating back to 1992. With a huge stretch of white sand on famed Grace Bay Beach, the open-air Cabana Bar has a vibrant history to go along with its spectacular ocean view.
The Cabana Bar serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner, so you have the option of experiencing this panoramic beach venue at sunrise or sunset. If you’re all in on enjoying the Caribbean lifestyle, ask about their jerk chicken, jerk fish, jerk burger, or smoked ribs.
The Cabana Bar’s extensive drink menu features favorites like the Funky Monkey, Caicos Mama, and Gilligan’s island. Best of all, lean back and take in the amazing seascape of turquoise water on display 365 days per year.
Da Conch Shack
Head to the Blue Hills area of Providenciales to experience Da Conch Shack, which may be the island’s most famous beach bar. For decades, Providenciales was the largest provider of conch in the world. The white meat found in beautiful pink seashells is a lunch and dinner favorite at this popular toes-in-the-sand restaurant.
Conch salad, conch chowder, and cracked conch sit at the top of the wish list for the restaurant’s legion of followers. The conch is caught fresh from the sea daily in front of restaurant’s stable of pink picnic tables.
At night, Da Conch Shack comes alive with music. On Wednesdays, there’s the Junkanoo Band playing brass, wind, and percussion instruments. Da Conch Shack is a Turks and Caicos beach bar original.
Bay Bistro
The Bay Bistro restaurant, located next to the quaint Sibonne Boutique Hotel, make for a dynamic pairing of Providenciales’ hidden gems. The Bay Bistro is located smack dab in the middle of Grace Bay Beach, and the restaurant features an awesome view of the Atlantic.
The hotel and restaurant location is somewhat tucked away. This quiet positioning means the beach ambiance is both tranquil and laid back. Choose the Bay Bistro if you are looking to indulge in Grace Bay’s beauty and turquoise personality.
At night, a special treat is reserving a table on the beach. If you’re celebrating a birthday, anniversary, or honeymoon, Bay Bistro will add special touches to make your beach bar evening unforgettable.
Del Mar
The Strand is one of Providenciales’ newest resorts. Located in the Cooper Jack area of the island, The Strand’s Del Mar restaurant is a five-star beach bar experience.
Del Mar gets added to the best beach bar list due to the three-dimensional backdrop of the restaurant’s bar. The open-air booze gallery is positioned to the right of the al fresco restaurant. The bar’s shimmering background showcases a live turquoise window to the ocean. The bartenders’ office view is one of the best on the entire island.
You’ll note that The Del Mar isn’t your long lost uncle’s beach bar. This Providenciales upscale newcomer is more of a look into the future. What you can’t deny is the architectural vision of this classy dining establishment.
For beach bar lovers, prepare to be amazed during your stay in Turks and Caicos. Spend a day, or a week, visiting Providenciales’ beach bars and you’ll feel like you’ve won the Caribbean lottery.
